German defence minister visits NATO mission at Latvian airbase
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German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has assured NATO partner Latvia during a visit to the Baltic state of Germany's military support.
"The security of the Baltic States is our security," the minister said on Tuesday at the Latvian Air Force base in the town of Lielvārde.
There he was informed about the deployment of German pilots to protect the airspace over the European Union and NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which border Russian territory.
"Our cooperation is strong. Germany will continue to be committed to air surveillance in the Baltic States," Pistorius said after a meeting with his Latvian counterpart Andris Sprūds, who in turn thanked Germany for leading the mission.
Earlier in the day, Pistorius observed two Eurofighters scrambling in Lielvārde, then disappearing into the sky for a training flight with a deafening noise. The jets are designed to protect NATO airspace from intruding aircraft and can take off within 15 minutes.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not have their own fighter jets. Their NATO allies have been on rotating deployments to secure Baltic airspace since the three former Soviet republics joined the alliance in 2004.
Germany's latest deployment began in March. According to the German Air Force, its Eurofighters have since scrambled 13 times and have identified Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea.
The air force has stationed five Eurofighters and around 200 soldiers at the military airfield, which is located some 60 kilometres south-east of the Latvian capital Riga, for deployment on NATO's eastern flank.
This year marks the first use of the Lielvārde base for the air policing mission.
"Today I have the opportunity to see how professionally and enthusiastically our pilots work together with you here in Latvia," Pistorius said.
Latvia was the first stop on a two-day trip to the Baltic States, which will also take Pistorius to Lithuania, where he plans to meet his counterpart Laurynas Kasčiūnas later on Tuesday afternoon.
On Wednesday, the minister plans to meet German soldiers and visit a military exercise.
